Americans consume more calories than ever. Today we eat nearly about 23% more calories than we did 50 years ago. Sixty-nine percent of American adults are overweight, while nearly 37% are obese. About 12% of preschool-age children are obese and 17% of kids ages 2 to 19 years old are obese. Obesity has a negative impact on Americans’ health. There are more than 60 chronic diseases linked to obesity.
Category: Consumer-Driven Health Care
Wednesday Links
Why are telehealth company stock prices in a nose dive?
An aspirin a day may hurt more than help.
The tax exclusion for employer provided health insurance is worth $352 billion and it allows employers to control $1.3 trillion of worker earnings spent on health insurance. Cato says we should end the exclusion and give the workers the money directly.
Obamacare Made Drug Benefits Worthless
Obamacare mandated health plans have drug coverage. That drug coverage is basically worthless because high-deductibles and coinsurance (i.e. cost-sharing) ensures that most enrollees are paying for all of their prescription drugs out of pocket. Drug plans under Obamacare plans usually have tiered formularies and drug copays that vary based on the drug. When picking up a prescription it is often cheaper to whip out a drug discount card and pay cash than to whip out your health plan ID card and pay a copay.
Why the FDA Created the Baby Formula Crisis
In shutting down the Abbott plant, the FDA was acting from a zero-risk mentality in its own bailiwick—protecting infant formula from factory contamination—with zero regard for costs and risks that would be somebody else’s problem. These include a nightmare for parents and a risk of malnutrition for thousands of newborns, particularly those in need of doctor-prescribed formulas that only the Michigan factory produced.